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Commentary: Farm Bureau president says criticism of tax bill is cover for Heitkamp

Daryl Lies, who farms near Douglas, N.D., about 35 miles southwest of Minot, N.D., was elected as president of the North Dakota Farm Bureau on Nov. 14, 2015. Photo taken Nov. 17, 2015, at Douglas, N.D. Mikkel Pates / Forum News Service

In recent days there has been a lot of criticism of the Republican tax bill in Congress and its impact on the agriculture industry.

In an interview with the Williston Herald North Dakota Farmer’s Union President Mark Watne suggested that the tax bill will create deficits that will, in turn, result in cuts to farm programs.

But Daryl Lies, head of the North Dakota Farm Bureau, sees these comments as motivated by politics.

“I do not share that concern,” he told me of the deficit talking point adding that it was coming from people “protecting Heidi Heitkamp” or looking to “make a name for themselves” ahead of future campaigns for elected office.